Introducing Kelly, our new Forest School Leader
Where are you from?
From London! My favourite places in London have always been Hampstead Heath and Regents Park for a shorter slow paced weekend wander.
What do you love to do most?
I’ve always loved the outdoors from a young age and in the UK I regularly head to Wales, the Peak and Lake Districts or the West Country to hike.
A whole day hike is my favourite, where you set off as close to sunrise as possible and have the day to fully immerse yourself in your surroundings, people are always happy when you cross paths (maybe because they haven’t seen another soul for a few hours!) and snack breaks normally include some homemade flapjacks or cake (for energy purposes of course!).
Why Forest School?
My background in mental health and addiction brought me closer to nature as part of my job. Its well known in the UK that the outdoors can have a significant, positive impact in nurturing and supporting emotional, mental and physical wellbeing.
Forest School was a natural next step. I thought, "why not provide children the opportunity to reap these benefits that work so well for us adults?"
What is your favourite thing about working with children at Forest School?
My favourite thing about Forest School is the *surprise*. Those unexpected questions children ask, the animals you manage to catch a glimpse of that don’t usually venture to that area, the creativity and endless imagination around what a simple object, such as a stick, can be to a child.
That wide eyed look from a child when they experience or achieve something for the first time is also priceless, such a great moment and I feel privileged to see so many moments like these.
What are you looking forward to most about working at Wildlings?
I’m so excited to join Wildlings. I’m really looking forward to being part of a team who provide the space and the freedom for children to grow, learning from nature but most importantly learning about themselves. I’m also up for the challenge to find new creative ways to do Forest School in a tropical setting.
Kelly will be starting two new wildlings sessions per week in new locations in January, working on a project for schools and supporting Wildling's new drop-off programme.